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Have you ever read a story you enjoyed so much that when you got to the end, you were disappointed it was already over? You loved spending time with the characters and learning about the world and you wanted more. That’s where a sequel comes in. In this article, we take a look at what goes into writing a sequel in the fantasy genre.
Sequels are popular across a broad spectrum of media, not just literature. The reasons for their popularity vary but there’s several common denominators in all the media sequels appear in, which we’ll get into in a little bit. These reasons help fuel the growth of sequels though we’ll simply look at how they work in literature.
One reason why writing a sequel appeals to a lot of people is that it’s simply a continuation of the story. In the first book, you’re introduced to the basic fundamentals of the plot and integral characters. The sequel merely chronicles more of their adventures in an ever-changing world which can and will alter the fundamentals in exciting ways.
The second reason for writing a sequel is to explore more of the world. Throughout the first novel, you’re confined to plot-specific areas where you’re just scratching the surface in terms of lore. The sequel offers you an opportunity to expand upon the existing lore and introduce new places that will prove instrumental in the resolution of the main story.
Spending more time with the characters you’ve created is the third reason for writing a sequel. As a writer, we become attached to the characters we create and we can’t help but want to see where their journeys go after the first novel ends. Fortuitously, the sequel gives you just that while enabling you to further flesh them out and give them new dimensions.
This is the forty-second article in the writing a fantasy book series. For more articles, why not peruse our blog page? We have an ever-growing number of articles that you can find there!
While many fantasy authors like to write one-and-only books where the main story is introduced and resolved in just one book, many others prefer to spread it out across multiple books. Regardless of how many books there are in a series, each one introduces something that becomes integral to the story, whether it takes a long time for it to become relevant or not.
Just take a look at some of the most popular series in fantasy. “The Lord of the Rings”, “Harry Potter”, and “A Song of Ice and Fire” are among the top stories in the genre and each novel in the series builds upon what was introduced before, though with the added wrinkle of a plot twist that changes how you perceive the overarching plot.
You might be wondering, how does this apply to you in terms of writing a sequel? Regardless of if you plan to have 2 or 13 books in the series, you have to keep the main story going forward in a way that keeps your readers engaged. This is where you have to take a long-term look at it and plan it out, usually years in advance.
You start by tackling the critical junctures, the ones that upend the plot wholly, first and assign them to where you want to place them. In-between junctures, you both work towards and backwards from them. The goal here is to keep it moving in a way that feels natural to you and your readers.
Beginning with the sequel, add new elements of the story whether it be new places or characters. This gives you an opportunity to generate organic tension as your current characters must contend with the changes which some will like and others won’t. This tension can persist for a while to be resolved before the end of the sequel or not until the next one.
A rule of thumb to keep in mind when writing a sequel: be sure that whatever new elements you introduce to the plot doesn’t clash with the already-established information you laid out in book 1. Many readers don’t like retcons since they can render a lot of information meaningless. Work to keep everything all seamless and avoid retcons as much as you can.
One of the greatest advantages of writing a sequel is showing a world larger than the one you created in the first book. You get to explore new areas like cities, terrain, cultures, and so on that you couldn’t do previously. Exploring more of the world gives you ample storytelling options.
If writing a sequel, it would be best to create a map where you, the writer, have a reference point so you can consider how far one place is from another or what the boundaries of a city or a country are. The more places there are, the harder it is to keep everything all in your head. You can choose using a colored map or one that looks like it was hand-drawn.
When writing a sequel, always include those that are vital to the plot. Your main story is the biggest draw for your audience which means they want to see how these places impact it and vice-versa, not those that contribute little to nothing to it. Show them in all their pristine glory or their dark melancholy as the story moves through them.
As you introduce new areas key to the story, provide some information on them like what they look like, what they feel like, and so on. The objective here is to make it easy for your audience to feel like they’re right there with your characters. You want your readers to form a connection to these places for they’re likely to revisit them again.
Many fantasy stories make heavy use of travel. The majority of them take place in medieval times where horses were the main means people used to travel. They’re used to travel across long distances on relatively flat terrain like plains or cross rivers at shallow points. Using horses or whatever main means of transport you use in your story is a natural way to show more of the world as you can highlight points of interest alongside the way to the destination.
If the main plot spans more than one continent that is separated by water, you can use ships to show a part of the world your readers have yet to see. You can even incorporate scenes on the ship where your characters comment on where they’re going or they reveal things about themselves to pass the time. While they’re traveling on water, you can introduce new plot elements like a giant sea monster attacking them or the ship is caught in a ferocious storm to create drama.
When writing a book, you grow attached to the characters you created. In your mind, they feel like real people where they have their own ambitions, dreams, and desires. In many cases, it feels like their story is far from over and you have the perfect opportunity to continue them when you start writing a sequel.
The sequel merely shows your characters continuing the path they set out on in book 1. In the first book, they experienced growth — whether it be positive, negative, or none at all — as they dealt with the events that transpired within it. The sequel enables them to apply their newfound growth, or the lack of, to an ever-changing world.
In the sequel, feature new challenges and obstacles that your characters must overcome. It could be a new plot-related element like encountering new minions of the villain or a treacherous locale like a cave. Show their struggles against them, signifying a need for further growth.
Your characters will explore new places like cities where they encounter people your audience is meeting for the first time. Let them see how their personalities clash or get along. Have them see if the new characters will aid or hinder them. Whether they be friend or foe, they have their own role to play in the main story.
One of the best reasons in writing a sequel is to explore new facets of your characters that your readers didn’t get a chance to in the first book. This makes them feel more real to your audience as their facets can hold them back or spur them to push forward, despite the risks. These new aspects will play a pivotal role at one point in the tale, for better or worse.
Another reason for writing a sequel is to see how the dynamics of character relationships change over time. Some form alliances in one book, only for said alliance to fall apart in another due to a betrayal or a fundamental difference in how best to proceed against the villain. Those in love in one book may break up in the next one or face new challenges that threaten to tear them asunder. Show how the changes in their relationship dynamics cause them to make decisions that affect the plot either positively or negatively.
Sequels are popular for a reason. No matter what media they appear in, they give people an opportunity to spend more time with the characters they grew to love (or hate!) in the world they live in. The main plot continues trudging along with new twists that fundamentally alter it going forward. Writing a sequel enables the author to show more of the world to their readers in new and exciting ways.
At its heart, a sequel is a continuation of the story. Picking up where it ended in the last book, the plot keeps moving forward. New plot-related elements and characters are introduced here and they can steer the story in unexpected directions that take the audience by surprise. Writing a sequel means you, the author, builds upon the foundation you established in book 1.
The sequel explores part of the world that was previously unseen. New areas like cities or terrain such as mountains open up the world more. When introducing new places, always be sure to showcase those that impact the main story since your readers are curious to see where it takes them (and your characters as well!).
And finally, characters are a main draw to writing a sequel. As their creator, you get to spend more time with them as they continue on their journey. You further flesh them out by giving them new dimensions that affect how they perceive the world and other characters.
If you’re interested in writing a sequel, what’s stopping you from following through? You could very well write a sequel that’s even better than the one that came before it!
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Sunfire
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